What a statement to make! But I’m referring to permanently being SHUT to vehicles. Today, I am livid. It’s not just me, i can see dozens of people online who are now waking up to the fact that South Lanarkshire Council overnight and with no warning, have put permanent bollards up at the far ENTRANCE of Greenhall Park. This is preventing vehicles to access Greenhall park and causing absolute chaos at the corner of Stoneymeadow Road. This decision is going to be deeply unpopular.

Incredibly, there is a sign up with a number to call, which I’m making available here with the purpose of anybody disgusted by this move, can freely call to complain. Indeed, an angry mob formed at the entrance this morning, each on their mobile phones to the council. In that short half hour visit, cars backed up and started parking on the dangerous 90 degree bend, blocking off access to nearby house and the entrance of Crossbow. Whoever made the call to put the bollard in place, or made a complaint about traffic in the first place in the park, is going to be bitterly sorry, when the bollard gets taken back down. And it will, for there’s going to be traffic accidents if things are left like this.

27th August 2014 Access sign at Greenhall entrance. Removed a day later

Blantyre’s Parks are to be protected. These are our green spaces. Elderly and infirm people are not expected to walk from main roads into the park, when once they had access. The cars were doing no damage, parking on hardstanding and had plenty of space to safely turn. Councillors and Council officials have already been contacted by various groups that have Blantyre’s interests at heart with a view of removing the bollard and returning access to vehicles. This deeply unpopular move is expected to go viral within Blantyre when this and similar stories start circulating today.

How can you help? Call the number on the sign pictured and complain to the council. The number to complain is 0303 123 1020.

If you agree this is an underhand decision and yet again at Greenhall removes another layer of our recreation, then please complain to the council. The form for complaints takes 2 minutes to fill out and found here https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/forms/form/16/en/comments_and_complaints . Please, please help, by completing it.

Update: 28th August 2014. As a result of hundreds of complaints about the bollard, telephone calls, emails and people signing this petition http://www.change.org/p/south-lanarkshire-council-remove-the-entrance-bollard-at-greenhall-park South Lanarkshire Council have relinquished and in the space of 24 hours gone from installing it, hearing the complaints and removing it! Well done to EVERYBODY. A victory for Blantyre and the people who love that wee park.